The typical optical telecommunication systems and networks include one or more telecommunications data centers that provide large numbers of optical and electrical cable connections that join various types of network equipment. The typical system also includes a number of outlying stations that extend the system into a network. Examples of network equipment include electrically-powered (active) units such as optical line terminals (OLTs), optical network terminals (ONTs), network interface devices (NIDs), servers, splitters, combiners, multiplexers, switches and routers, fanout boxes and patch panels. This network equipment is often installed within cabinets in equipment racks or frames. Each piece of equipment typically provides one or more adapters where optical or electrical patch cables can be physically connected to the equipment. These patch cables are generally routed to other network equipment located in the same cabinet or to another cabinet. The optical patch cables are also called “jumper fibers.”
A common problem in telecommunications systems, and in particular with telecommunications equipment, is space management. Current practice in telecommunications is to utilize electronics racks or frames that support stationary rack-mounted housings. The housings may be fixed slide-out or swing-out patch/splice panel or shelves. However, the configurations and sizes of present-day adapter modules, housing assemblies, and frame assemblies have been defined by the properties of the fiber optic cables that connect to the devices within the housings. In particular, the configurations and sizes have been established based on the particular ability of the fiber optic cables and optical fibers therein to interface with the devices without exceeding the bending tolerance of the fiber optic cable and/or the optical fibers. This has resulted in telecommunications equipment that occupies relatively large amounts of space, and in particular a relatively large amount of floor space in a central office of a telecommunications network.
It would be advantageous to have adapter modules, housing assemblies and frame assemblies having a compact configuration and size that could support a higher density of devices and components than present-day modules and assemblies.